Past Mistakes
by EmptySurface
Summary: He should have seen it coming. Really. Voldemort was many things; stupid was not one of them. He had cast Avada Kedavra twice now, to try and kill him. Yet it had worked none of the times. It was only logical that the madman would try something else. Alternate dimension. Deathly-Hallows compatible.
1. Chapter 1

**Past Mistakes**

**Chapter one**

Weasley wonders

He should have seen it coming.

Really.

Voldemort was many things; stupid was not one of them. He had cast _Avada Kedavra_ twice now, to try and kill him. Yet it had worked none of the times. It was only logical that the madman would try something else.

But still, Harry was thoroughly confused as he sat on the floor in the kitchen of the Burrow, staring at several freckled, familiar faces. Heck, the only ones missing were Bill and Charlie. Even Percy was there. And where was Fleur? Harry shook his head slightly.

"W-Why are we here?" Harry croaked. He hadn't even realised how dry and sore his throat was. Damn it. He had screamed a lot today, hadn't he? "What happened at H-Hogwarts?" It was very important. What had happened?! And why were everyone just staring blankly at him? Why were they even here? He could clearly remember that all the Weasleys had been in the Great Hall, fighting with the rest of them. How could they all be at the Burrow? At the thought, Harry's eyes zeroed in on Fred and George.

"Fred!" Harry exclaimed, his voice breaking slightly. He had seen Fred laid out in the Great Hall before going into the forest. He had been dead. His mind reeled at the thought.

"What?" Fred answered hesitantly, shooting questioning glances at his family.

"How can y-you be here?" Harry croaked, trying to stand, but found himself unable to pick himself up from the floor.

"I live here. Why shouldn't I be here?" Fred sounded puzzled. George nodded his fervent agreement, narrowing his eyes at Harry slightly.

Harry couldn't stop the words that tumbled out of his mouth next. "But you died."

The silence that followed was overwhelming. It rang in Harry's ears, piercing his soul. Unconsciously, George and Fred reached out, taking hold of each other, as if the very thought of being without the other terrified them.

"That's a joke in very bad taste!" Mrs Weasley suddenly burst out. Harry's attention snapped towards her and his eyes widened at the look on her face.

"A joke...?" Harry echoed hollowly. How could she think he'd joke about that?

"Molly." Arthur cut across his wife's building tirade with a sharp look. Once certain she wouldn't interrupt, he turned back to Harry. "Who are you, young man. And more importantly; how did you get here?" His voice was serious, sharp even. It was the voice Mr Weasley used when talking about Death Eaters and who had been the most recent casualty in the war.

Harry could do nothing but stare, slack jawed and wide-eyed, with a growing sense of dread spreading through him.

"What do you mean 'who am I'?" Harry shot to his feet, staggering slightly to the side. Bloody hell, he was in a lot of pain. Panic was lurking on the edges of his mind, just waiting for his control to slip. He suddenly spotted Ron. "Ron!" His friend jumped when addressed, clearly startled. "Please tell me this is an after-effect of Voldemort's curse? That it's a side-effect of the _Avada Kedavra_." He practically begged. He didn't even notice how the two grown-ups in the room grew dangerously pale at his words. "This can't be happening." He continued more to himself, pulling his hands through his hair.

"Arthur." Mrs Weasley's voice was strained. "Call for Dumbledore. He should know who this young man is, and help him." It was clear she thought him mentally unstable.

It was Harry's turn to blanch. "What are you talking about?!" He was growing more desperate the longer time passed by. His nerves were already high strung from the battle, not to mention he had walked to his own death not even an hour ago. This was not helping.

Instead of answering him, Arthur rose and hurried over to the fireplace, threw a pinch of floo-powder on the flames and stuck his head in them. Harry stared at him, wondering if they seriously expected a dead man to answer their call. His eyes grew distant as he thought back to his last talk with professor Dumbledore. He wasn't even sure if it had been real, or if it had all been a figment of his imagination. Either way, the memory of that white, strange-looking King's Cross station was clear in mind.

Before he knew it, Mr Weasley withdrew his head from the flames, which then flared bright green once more to let through an elderly man with a long white beard and half-moon spectacles on his crooked nose. Harry stared for all of one heartbeat before whipping out his wand.

"Who are you?" He demanded harshly. Everyone in the room except for Dumbledore voiced their outrage at his behaviour, bur Harry didn't care.

"I am Albus Dumbledore." Professor Dumbledore answered calmly. "Headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry."

"Lies." Harry answered firmly. "Professor Dumbledore is dead. I saw him die." He spoke the words harshly. It still hurt, just thinking about that night.

The silence settling after his words was almost palpable.

"Then ask me a question to verify my identity." There was no twinkle in his blue eyes, but they were lit with calculating intelligence instead.

Harry stared intently at him. "Is this a trick?" He asked suspiciously. "You could be a Death Eater." He added, just for good measure. None of this was making any sense.

"What's a Death Eater?" Ron blurted.

Harry rounded on him, incredulity etched on every inch of his face. _Ron_, who had spent the year -well, most of the year- on the run from Death Eaters, was asking that? He began to back away from them all. It was clear none of them were who they appeared to be. He shot another look at Dumbledore and saw that he was eyeing him warily.

"Fine. What's the name of your sister, and how did she die?" He asked grimly. He hoped no one but Dumbledore would be able to truthfully answer that.

Dumbledore visibly paled, reaching out a hand towards the wall to steady himself. "How do you know about that?" He asked faintly.

Instead of answering, Harry made a dash for the door. This was clearly not the people he knew and loved. He'd retreat and then think of what to do once he had sorted things through. This must be related to Voldemort somehow.

If he had been his usual self, the stunner would have never hit him. But as it were, Harry was exhausted and battered from the battle, and didn't have time to react before the red flash crashed into him.

.o.O.o.

"What is going on?" Arthur demanded, turning to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore tucked away his wand again, studying the unconscious young man on the floor. "I'm not sure." He walked up to him, to study his face closer. "But I must say there's something familiar about him."

"Yeah." Ron, of all people present, agreed.

Dumbledore straightened again, turning back to Arthur and Molly. "How did he get here?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Molly snapped angrily. "He just turned up here, with an ear-splitting crack! Scared the lot of us half to death!" Her face was flushed and she was clearly upset.

"He even claimed that Fred was dead." Percy informed in a self-important voice. Despite his pompous manner, he was rather pale. That claim had shaken him more than he'd like to admit. "And wondered what he was doing here."

"I see." Dumbledore looked the twins over and then let out a small sigh. "I think it would be best if I take him back to Hogwarts with me. I need to know who he is, especially since he seems to possess extensive knowledge about me." He eyed the boy on the floor.

"Please take him, by all means." Molly snapped.

"Will you let us know what you find out?" Arthur asked. He was considerably more composed than his wife. "I think it will do wonders for our peace of mind." He sent a meaningful glance towards his unsettled children.

"Of course, Arthur." Dumbledore smiled. "Now, do you have something I could use to turn into a portkey?"

"Sure." He scrambled over to the bin, dug out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it over to the headmaster. "Here."

Dumbledore took it without preamble, spelled it with a flick of his wand, and then reached down for the unconscious boy's hand. With a final nod to the Weasleys they disappeared.

.o.O.o.

As soon as they landed in his office, Albus conjured a chair and then placed the boy in it. Poppy walked in briskly through the door not even a minute later, having been called before he left.

"Albus!" She exclaimed as she caught sight of the boy. "What in the world happened to him? It looks like he's been through a war!" She sounded horrified. "Is that _blood_?"

"I believe it is." Albus answered serenely. "Poppy, would you mind fetching Severus for me?"

"Absolutely not! You think I'll leave a boy alone with you, when he looks like that?!" She sounded outraged at the mere thought.

"I expect that you will. Especially when I don't know who this is, or how he can possess knowledge about things there is no way he should know." Albus was nothing but serious, looking adamantly at the mediwitch.

Poppy stubbornly remained for another two minutes, before she slowly walked out of the office, grumbling darkly to herself all the while.

Albus couldn't quite suppress the fond smile twitching his lips at her behaviour.

Ten minutes later, Severus swept into the room, already glaring daggers at him.

"What do you want?" He demanded sourly. "I'm in the middle of brewing a potion!" It was clear he wasn't happy. Poppy smirked slightly at the headmaster's predicament.

"I wouldn't call you if it wasn't important, Severus." Albus answered patiently. "I trust you have a vial of Veritaserum on you?"

"I always do. Don't trust anyone not to try and break into my stores for it." He scowled. "Why?"

Albus waved a hand towards the boy.

"He hardly looks older than thirteen, Albus." Poppy cut in harshly. "You can't be serious!"

"Please give him the dose, Severus." Albus didn't even acknowledge the fact that the mediwitch had spoken.

Severus eyed the old wizard intently for a few heartbeats, his black eyes gleaming. He then rummaged through his robes and quickly produced a small vial filled with a clear liquid, looking startlingly similar to water. He strode up to the boy, pried his mouth open and then dripped three drops down his throat. Once he nodded towards Albus, the old man waved his wand.

The boy stirred and the opened his eyes. Severus startled. They were green. Just Like Lily's.

"What is your name?" Albus asked briskly.

The boy blinked slowly. "Harry James Potter." His voice sounded slightly slurred, as if every word was difficult to pronounce.

"That's impossible!" Poppy gasped. They all knew Harry; he had spent the last three years at Hogwarts.

"How old are you?" Albus continued, a faint note of trepidation in his voice. You wouldn't have heard it if you weren't very familiar with him, as Severus was.

"Seventeen."

"Why are you here?" Albus asked.

Harry simply blinked up at him, clearly confused.

Albus sighed and tried again. "How did you end up at the Burrow?"

"I suspect it is because of Voldemort's curse." Harry answered slowly.

"Who's Voldemort." Was the next question.

"Lord Voldemort. Birth name Tom Marvolo Riddle. The worst Dark Lord the world has seen in centuries." Harry replied dutifully, although it wasn't really voluntary.

The three in the room all took a moment to think about that. None of them had ever heard that before.

"Why would he curse you?" Severus asked softly, eyeing the boy intently.

"He was trying to kill me. But as the killing curse had failed to work two times, he cast something else at me. I don't know what." Came the truthful response.

"What do you mean 'the killing curse failed'?" Poppy asked, sounding more than horrified and confused.

"I survived the killing curse the first time when I was one year old." Harry made a brief pause. "The other time earlier today."

Poppy gasped.

"Where did you come from?" Albus asked mutedly. He looked more sad than wary now.

"Hogwarts."

"What?" Severus couldn't stop himself.

"I came from the Great Hall in Hogwarts." Harry specified.

"What were you and this Lord Voldemort doing there?" Albus asked gravely.

"Duelling. It was the end of the war. I won, but then I ended up sitting on the floor at the Burrow."

"...war?" Poppy sounded close to fainting.

"Yes. The second war. Voldemort attacked Hogwarts and we fought back. He thought he had killed me, but I survived the _Avada Kedavra_ again. Instead he destroyed his Horcrux, the last one, and I could finally kill him."

"Horcrux?" Albus asked, frowning. He had heard that somewhere, or read about it. Severus felt himself blanch.

"Yes. It's a fragment of soul that has been placed in an object. It makes the witch or wizard that created it immortal." Harry said, as if reading from a script.

"You said; the last one. He made more than one?" Severus voice was barely more than a whisper.

"He intentionally made seven. He believed it would make him invincible." He made a brief pause. "He made an eight one by accident, when he tried to kill me when I was a baby."

"It's not possible to make one by accident!" Severus objected. This topic of conversation truly disturbed him.

"Professor Dumbledore said it happened because his soul was already so unstable after all the other Horcruxes. When the killing curse rebounded and hit him, it split his soul again and a part attached itself to me." He raised a hand to his forehead, where they could see a lightning shaped scar.

"I said that?" Albus sounded thoroughly puzzled.

"Yes."

"Do you know all of us?"

"Yes. Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. Severus Snape, potions master and professor at Hogwarts. Poppy Pomfrey, mediwitch and nurse at Hogwarts."

"This is impossible." Severus turned mechanically towards Albus. "If what this implies is true..." He let his voice taper off. He was sure Albus was thinking something similar.

"Yes. It's quite remarkable." Albus agreed.

"What?" Poppy hated not being included.

"This Harry Potter is most likely from an alternate dimension." Albus stated gravely. "Severus, I have just one question left to ask, then would you be so kind as to give him the antidote?"

Severus nodded jerkily.

"How did you know about my sister?"

Severus and Poppy both stared at him. Albus had a sister?

"I read a book about your life after you died. It mentioned your sister and why your father went to Azkaban." He paused slightly. "Then I talked to you about it when I died. You told me the truth yourself."

"...when you died?"

"Yes. The _Avada Kedavra_ in the Forbidden forest technically killed me. I was given the choice to move on or come back. I chose to return to my friends."

"This is mindboggling." Poppy breathed. "It's widely acknowledged that it is impossible to survive the _Avada Kedavra_ curse."

"It is." Harry agreed from the chair. "It made me famous." And he managed to pull a face, even under the influence of the Veritaserum. He must feel very strongly about it, to do that. "People called me the Boy-Who-Lived." They could hear the disgust in his voice, despite being muted and overlapped by the drowsiness accompanied by the potion. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's time for a proper discussion with Harry here, now." Albus capped his hands together. "I sincerely doubt he's any threat to any of us, and it sounds like he knows us all. Severus."

Severus startled and then produced the vial with the antidote. A few drops was all it took.

.o.O.o.

Harry slowly blinked, finding himself staring up at three people he knew very well. Two of whom he had never thought he'd ever see again. At least not alive, and in person. Then his memories caught up to him and he jumped to his feet.

"You used Veritaserum!" He croaked. The potion had done nothing to sooth his throat. He scowled at the imposturous headmaster. "You could have just asked." He narrowed his eyes. "And I still don't know who you are." He glared from Dumbledore to Snape and back again.

"You just clearly admitted to knowing who all three of us are." Snape said stiffly, his lips barely moving. A strange emotion flitted across Harry's face, faster than they could interpret it.

"Professor Dumbledore died when I was sixteen. Professor Snape died last night." He glared pointedly at them. "Which makes it obvious you're not them." He spat.

"I died? How?" Snape seemingly couldn't stop the words from leaving his mouth.

"Voldemort murdered you. He personally ordered his snake, Nagini, to kill you." Harry answered slowly. The memory left him slightly green.

"And Albus?" Poppy asked.

Harry glanced at her. "Snape killed him." All three of them startled. "Professor Dumbledore made you promise to do it." He said, turning his emerald eyes to Snape. "It was to make sure Voldemort wouldn't become even more powerful."

That reassured him, somewhat. But Severus shot Albus a dark look. He didn't like the sound of it, even now. He wondered what his counterpart must have felt.

"What surprises me is that none of us have ever heard of this Dark Lord." Albus spoke softly.

Harry turned to look at him, eyes wide. "The you're all very lucky." The mere thought was staggering.

After a stretch of uncomfortable silence, Albus spoke up again. "Harry, my boy. I believe you come from an alternative reality, which would explain why Severus and I are still alive here, and any other differences you might come across." Albus stated, abruptly changing the subject.

Harry blinked.

"What?" He didn't like the sound of that.

"It would explain your sudden appearance, the fact that you know all of us, while none of us has ever seen you before. And the fact that there now exists two Harry Potters."

Harry startled. "There's another me here?" He asked numbly.

"Indeed it is." Dumbledore inclined his head. "He will begin his fourth hear this September."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "How is that possible? He should have already graduated." And then a thought struck him. "Wait. What year is it?"

"1997."

Harry gaped. "Then I honestly don't understand." He stated faintly. The day suddenly caught up to him and Harry staggered. Poppy immediately stepped up to him, looking him over concernedly.

"Are you injured?" She asked, all professionalism now.

"Don't know." Harry muttered roughly. He _had_ been hit with the _Avada Kedavra_. And a few_ Crucios_... not that that was anything new.

"Albus." Poppy whipped her head towards the headmaster. "I'm taking him to the Hospital wing. He clearly needs treatment. If you object to this, I resign!"

"Alright, Poppy dear." Albus simply nodded.

"And if you want to talk to him further, you can do so tomorrow. In the Hospital wing!" And she promptly marched out of the office, helping Harry along.

It wasn't until Poppy practically carried him through the castle that Harry noticed that he was considerably shorter than he remembered being.

.o.O.o.

"Perhaps we should contact the Potters." Snape voiced reluctantly.

"Really, Severus? You are suggesting this?" Albus' eyes twinkled faintly.

"It clearly concerns them, in a way." He couldn't quite suppress the sneer.

Albus let out a heavy sigh. "But what do I tell them? That a second copy of their son has suddenly appeared?" He mused out loud.

"It's the truth. Let Potter deal with it."

"And what about his wife?" Albus asked with a knowing smile.

Severus froze. "She'll want to take care of him, no doubt."

"Yes. He is rather alarmingly thin." Albus frowned. "I doubt James and Lily would ever neglect their son in such a manner. Unless there's a significant difference between them here and there."

"Maybe he did something to deserve it." Severus suggested sullenly.

"Severus." Albus admonished sharply. "I thought you, of all people, would know that children never deserve such punishments."

Severus crossed his arms in front of his chest, but said nothing.

"I'll fire-call the Potters as soon as Harry wakes up tomorrow." Albus decided, nodding to himself. "Let's hope they take the news with a level head."

"There's always hope." Severus sneered, and then swept from the room, just as abruptly as he had entered.

.o.O.o.


	2. Chapter 2

**Past Mistakes**

**Chapter two**

Potter panic

As it happened. Harry slept all through the next day and didn't wake until the following morning. Poppy frostily assured Albus that it was perfectly normal, considering how exhausted he had been, and everything he had lived through. She gladly informed the headmaster that she had seen signs of the _Cruciatus_ in his system. Albus looked appropriately appalled.

"But he is awake now?" He finally asked. He felt just as guilty as Poppy wanted him to feel.

"Yes." She answered coldly.

Albus sighed. She'd most likely be cross with him for months over this. "Then please let me talk to him."

"Fine." The mediwitch snapped, turned on the spot and let him into her ward. "There he is. I'll be in my office." She sent the headmaster a last warning glare before she stormed off.

"Good morning, Mr Potter." Albus greeted lightly.

Harry turned towards him, eyeing him warily. "Morning." He nodded a tense greeting.

"How are you feeling? You've slept almost one and a half day; you had us worried there a moment." Albus conjured a pink, squishy armchair and seated himself next to the bed.

Harry stared at the thing a while and then tore his gaze away from the mesmerizing, flowery pattern. "I had some sleep to catch up on." He muttered.

"Indeed." Albus leaned his elbow on the armrests and braided his fingers together in front of him. "Now, I believe we must discuss your situation." His voice turned serious.

"What about it?" Harry frowned.

"Whether we want it or not, you're stuck here at the moment."

"I need to go back." Harry cut in, already worked up. He was so very worried about his friends. Sure, he had won against Voldemort, but that didn't meant the rest of the Death Eaters were harmless. What if someone else had died? "I can't stay here!"

Albus nodded understandingly.

"I understand your feelings, but I'm afraid there's not much I can do." He admitted regrettably.

Harry ground his teeth. "If nothing else, I'm going to miss the funerals of people who were very important to me!"

Albus felt saddened that a boy so young could talk of such things so callously. "You're talking about young Mr Weasley?"

"Among others." Harry ground out. "I don't even know if anyone else died after I disappeared." He felt like crying, but determinedly stomped down on the notion. He couldn't afford to cry! Not right now. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?" He asked, fixing the old wizard in front of him with a sharp look. He couldn't really bring himself to think of him as Dumbledore; Dumbledore was dead.

Albus regarded the young man in front of him a moment. "You told us that you were seventeen." He began. He didn't bother pointing out that it had been under Veritaserum. "How come you look so young? If I had been forced to take a guess, I would have thought you thirteen."

"I don't know. You said your Harry Potter was fourteen? I probably turned back to that age to match this world." He made a brief pause. "It's not the strangest thing that's ever happened to me."

"It's not?" Albus felt his eyebrows rise.

"No. I always seem to manage the impossible." Harry muttered sullenly.

Albus contemplated that, and had to admit that -all things considered- he didn't find it too hard to believe. "I wanted to let you know I called your family here, to take care of you until we can find a solution to this remarkable problem." He said, watching for Harry's reaction.

Harry frowned. "My family?"

"The Potters, of course. Or did you have anyone else in mind?"

Harry said nothing. He just stared at the headmaster, face slowly draining of blood.

"The Potters?" He repeated faintly.

"Yes. James and Lily were rather shocked when I told them what had happened. They're waiting outside the ward to meet you." He informed lightly, eyes twinkling.

"No!" All of a sudden, Harry was standing on the floor next to the bed. "I refuse." He continued, panic building quickly. He couldn't see his parents! Not after he had talked to them, walking to his own death!

His exclamation, however, seemed to have attracted the attention of said people, and the two of them entered the Hospital wings with curiosity etched on both their faces. Albus watched the young man in front of him with sudden concern. Had his parents truly been so horrible to him in his world?

"So where is he, Albus?" James asked eagerly, while Lily watched Harry intently.

"James. He's standing right there." She said mutedly, giving this strange yet familiar boy a kind smile.

If possible, Harry paled further. "I can stay here. At Hogwarts." He sounded close to desperate.

"You don't want to come home?" James frowned, shooting the headmaster a questioning look. "Why in Merlin's name not?"

"It's not my home." Harry tried very hard not to scream. "You're not my parents, and I don't belong here!" It was getting harder by the second.

Alerted by his raised voice, Poppy returned to the room. "Mr Potter, what are you doing out of bed?" She sounded reproachful and slightly horrified. "You're in no condition to be up and about!"

"What condition?" Lily zeroed in on it immediately. They hadn't been told about this.

"This young man has been through quite the ordeal." Poppy told them evenly, eyeing Harry intently.

Harry scowled. "It's not like I haven't survived stuff like this before." He ground out. "And I'm not a child! I'm of age, for crying out loud!"

"He is?" James sounded dubious at best.

"Yes. He really is seventeen, in his world." Albus nodded. He doubted Lily would take kindly to the news of anyone dousing a teenager with truth-serum, so he left that part out. "He looked like this when he appeared, though."

"None of my scars have disappeared, so it's not like I returned to my fourteen year old self again. My body just changed to look fourteen." Harry glanced from one to the other.

"Yes, about that." Poppy prompted. "I have a few questions." She fixed him with a look that gave him no option of declining. Harry nodded warily.

"Why did your scan tell me you've been exposed to Basilisk venom?" She demanded to know. The remaining adults in the room showed varying degrees of shock.

Harry scowled. "Because I was bitten by one when I was twelve." He reluctantly told her, deciding to ignore their audience.

Poppy gasped. "_Where_ did you even find one?! And how did you survive?"

"Here, at Hogwarts." Harry answered warily. "And Fawkes cried on the wound." He added, shooting the headmaster a quick glance.

"What about your hand?" Poppy continued after she had digested the news a moment.

"What about his hand?" Lily wanted to know, horrified by what she had heard already. She was more determined than ever to bring this child home now.

Harry felt his right hand curl into a fist and his expression darkened. "Detention. With the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor my fifth year." He spat out.

"A Bloodquill!" Poppy screeched. "Since when have we allowed such barbaric ways at Hogwarts?" She was truly upset about this.

"It's not like Dumbledore had a choice." Harry muttered darkly. "The Ministry intervened. And the Toad was out to get me."

James couldn't quite hold back a snort. "The Toad?" He mouthed, amused. Harry lips twitched in the semblance of a smile.

"What did she force you to write?" Lilly asked. She wasn't smiling.

Harry glanced down at the back of his hand, where the scars shone pale against the rest of his skin. "I must not tell lies."

"That's atrocious!" She exclaimed, a disgusted look on her beautiful face. James reached out take her hand.

"Was it because you're famous?" Albus asked softly while the young couple was distracted.

Harry sneered. "Partly." He glowered at the man. "And partly because I had been the only surviving witness to Voldemort's return. No one believed me, except for you and my friends. The wizarding world decided it would rather stick it's head in the sand." And the bitterness in his voice made them all blink.

"The only surviving..." James repeated mutedly, eyes searching this boy's eyes, eyes so much like Lily's. Like Harry's.

"Yes." Harry refused to go into further detail.

"Alright. It's decided." James said, suddenly brisk. "You're coming home with us." He could already see the stubborn set of Lily's jaw and the glint in her eyes. There was no arguing with her when she got like this. He, of all people, ought to know.

"No." Harry objected tersely. "You already have a family to look after. I have no business there." He _really_ didn't want to. Seeing for himself what his life could have been like. Instead, he had gotten the Dursleys.

"Oh, come now." James continued lightly. "We already told the kids, and they're really looking forward to meeting you."

"...kid_s_?" Harry said, stressing the plural.

"Don't you have siblings?" James looked puzzled. "We have three children, Lily and I." He declared proudly, deciding to ignore Harry's baffled expression.

"Harry is our eldest." Lilly put in, having recovered somewhat. "Then there's the twins." She smiled.

Harry startled. Twins? He would have gaped if he hadn't been frozen on the spot. He had sibling in this world? Not just parents, but a proper family... It was overwhelming.

Poppy looked between Harry and his counterpart's parents, probably seeing more than anyone else in the room, and let out an exasperated sigh. "Sit down, Mr Potter. I have a few potions you need to take before you leave." She interrupted briskly. Harry slowly did as instructed, while Pomfrey stepped over to the potions cabinet. She returned a moment later with a number of vials in different shapes and colour. Harry eyed them warily.

"What are they?" He asked, already tense.

"This one is to prevent nerve damage." She informed. She could see both James and Lily startle in the corner of her eye. There was only ever one reason why someone needed this particular potion and James expression darkened dangerously. "This one is a common Calming Draught." She continued. And she ticked off all the potions as Harry drank them. He didn't even grimace at the taste.

While he followed Pomfrey's ministrations, Harry had a chance to think, and collect himself somewhat. He doubted he had any choice in this matter, if the expression on Lily Potter's face was something to go by. He had seen similar looks on Mrs Weasley's face before, and it never bode well. But... this was too much. And he still felt tired after everything that had happened. So many people he loved had died. Remus... He realised suddenly that he was responsible for Teddy now. How would he be able to raise a child if he was stuck here? In the body of a fourteen year old? He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and steeled himself.

"Alright. Let's get this over with." He said, feeling almost as if he was walking towards his death once more.

Albus eyed him sadly, but nodded. "If we still haven't found a solution before the holidays is over, you will join classes here with your counterpart." He decided. It was only fair.

Harry flinched. "What? I have to go through _fourth_ year? Again?" He demanded incredulously. Had they not heard that he was seventeen? And then a thought struck him. "...You're not having the Triwizard Tournament, are you?" The wariness in his voice set them all on edge. No child should sound like that, seventeen or not.

"Absolutely not!" Pomfrey exclaimed, fixing the headmaster with an intense stare, as if daring him to tell them otherwise.

"The Tournament haven't been held in a very long time." Albus confirmed slowly. "Is it differently in your world?"

Harry said nothing, but closed his eyes again and let out relieved sigh. One less thing to worry about.

James and Lily looked at each other. Was this Tournament such a bad thing? "Let's get going then." Lily spoke up. "I'll have to begin preparations for lunch soon."

It was such a normal thing to say, Harry almost felt like laughing. Or sobbing; either was as likely. So he wordlessly surrendered and was led through the eerily familiar corridors of the castle he had seen as his first true home.

.o.O.o.


	3. Chapter 3

**Past Mistakes**

**Chapter three**

Sibling Similarity

To his growing horror, Harry found out that they would travel by floo. He hated the floo. And when Lily stepped into the roaring, green flames and uttered "Godric's Hollow. Potter Cottage." He felt like throwing up. James -he refused to think of him as his father- nudged his elbow and Harry reluctantly followed.

Soon enough, he stumbled out of another fireplace, planting his face gracefully on the floor. "Ow." He muttered, slowly picking himself up. He refrained from looking around, even as James appeared next, almost trampling him in the process.

"Merlin!" He exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!" He looked him over concernedly. "I forgot you're not well yet." He looked guilty and a little sheepish at the thought. Harry said nothing, but kept his gaze fixed on his own shoes. "I'll take you to the guest room. You can rest as long as you want." He assured him worriedly.

Harry simply nodded.

"The kids are over at a friend's house at the moment. We thought it best if you had some peace and quiet before being pestered by them." James continued, as if he didn't notice Harry's growing discomfort.

"Thanks." Harry murmured wearily, trudging after James up the stairs.

"Lily will let you know once lunch is ready." Harry nodded and was then left alone. He looked around. He was in a room dominated by a large bed, with curtains in a soft blue colour. The walls were a creamy white with blue flowers. It gave, all in all, a very soothing impression. Harry stumbled over to the bed -already exhausted- and collapsed on top of it. He didn't even bother to take off his glasses before he was asleep.

.o.O.o.

"Can we at least go upstairs a take a peek at him?" Her only daughter asked for what felt like the tenth time.

"Absolutely not!" Lily prompted, leaving no room for argument. Dorea visibly deflated.

"But it's not fair! You and dad already met him." She complained. Sebastian simply waited silently beside her. He was the only of her children who had inherited her red hair. The rest of them had James' black, unruly bird's nest. Harry, of course, had her eyes, and so did Sebastian. He looked more like her than James, even thought you could see the similarities in the shape of his face and his mouth. Dorea, on the other hand, had both James' hair and eyes. She was almost an exact replica of her father, even down to her temperament and personality. She could be outright reckless from time to time, and Lily couldn't help but sigh and send her husband an exasperated look. To which he only grinned sheepishly.

"If he's tired, then we will let him sleep." Lily cut her daughter off. "He's been through a lot." She added, just for good measure.

"But-"

"I'm sure we will have lots of time to get to know him, Rea. Especially when we go to Hogwarts." Sebastian said calmly, eyeing his sister impatiently.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Where's Harry, then?" She changed the subject.

Lily felt like rolling her eyes. And wasn't that a startling thought? They now had _two_ Harry... They'd have to do something about that.

"He hasn't come back yet." She said, turning back to her cooking. Their unexpected guest had slept all through lunch and it would soon be dinnertime. Lily could easily admit she was worried about him. Seventeen or not, he was so thin! And he had a haunted look in his eyes she never wanted to see in any child ever again.

"When will he be back?" Sebastian asked evenly.

Lily glanced at the clock on the wall. "In a few minutes." She assured. "Your father is getting him as we speak."

"Ok." And Sebastian walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. Dorea watched him incredulously a moment, before deflating and following suit. Lily smiled. If those two hadn't been born as twins, she didn't know what she would have done.

By the time James and Harry arrived, Lily was finishing setting the table, making sure to add an extra plate.

"He's still not down?" James glanced towards the stairs, a worried frown marring his face. Lily shook her head.

"I'll go and wake him up." She said, putting down the last plate.

"Let me!" Dorea jumped up from her seat.

"No. Leave it to your mother." James voice interrupted before she could run off.

Harry just listened to it all with a perplexed, pensive look on his face. Lily wondered what all this was like for him.

"Wait here. I'll go and get him, and then we'll eat." Lily smiled at her pouting daughter. Sebastian simply nodded expectantly.

Lily headed up the stairs and nervously approached their guest bedroom. Sirius or Remus were its most usual occupants, but not at the moment. James had practically had to threaten Sirius to make sure the man didn't come barging in tonight. She somehow couldn't picture this Harry to appreciate even more people staring at him and questioning him. Lily knocked gently on the door.

"Harry?" She called out uncertainly. "Are you awake?" No answer. She took a deep breath and slowly cracked the door open and peered inside. The curtains were drawn and it took a moment to adjust to the muted light. She opened the door completely and stepped inside, staring at the dark figure on the bed. "Harry." She spoke softly as she gently took a hold of the boy's shoulder to shake him awake. The response was immediate. Harry shot up off the bed and had his wand pointed at her face in a matter of seconds. Lily stood frozen beside the bed.

"Uh, Harry?" She wondered if he remembered where he was.

Harry blinked and found himself staring up in an achingly familiar face. His own green eyes were blinking back at him with concern. His gaze fell to his wand, which he held pointing at the woman's face. Blushing, he immediately lowered it.

"I- I'm so sorry." He stammered confusedly. "W-where...?"

"You're in Godric's Hollow, in our home." Lily told him with a small, tentative smile. Harry took a few deep breaths and slowly sank down to sit on the bed.

"You're Lily Potter." Harry mumbled tiredly, rubbing a hand over his face. There was a multitude of emotions in his voice when speaking her name. Lily almost flinched at the suppressed grief, longing and... fear?

"I am." She answered calmly. "Dinner is ready." She added at his questioning glance. "The rest of the family is downstairs. But if you don't feel up to it, I can say you wanted to sleep some more and bring you a plate later."

"...That's ok. I can't hide out here all the time." Harry muttered wryly. "But, thank you." He really appreciated the offer. More than she might realise. Lily nodded and led the way towards the door, but Harry hesitated. "Uhm."

Lily turned to look at him.

"What are they expecting of me?" He asked her hesitantly. The only family dinner he had ever truly been part of, was with the Weasleys.

"Expecting of you? Nothing. You eat, and then do whatever you want." Lily answered, a mystified expression on her face. "We've told them who you are already, along with a quick explanation as to how you ended up here." She assured him, wondering if that was why he seemed so nervous.

Harry simply nodded and followed her down the stairs. He could hear the friendly banter even before he saw them, and it felt as if a cold hand took hold of his heart. Lily went to her seat, but Harry found himself unable to join them. He didn't belong here. He ended up staring at his counterpart. He could tell -even when the bloke was sitting down- that he was taller and sturdier than him. His green eyes shone with suppressed laughter in an unguarded way Harry's never had.

"Hi!" The girl -his sister?- exclaimed excitedly, drawing everyone's attention to Harry. He couldn't press out a smile, so he simply nodded warily. "You don't look like our brother." She pointed out, staring from Harry to his counterpart and back again.

"We've led very different lives." Harry answered mutedly as he edged over to the empty chair. He didn't know if he ought to be glad it was next to Lily.

"How can you tell?" The girl looked perplexed. Harry's eyes shot to first Lily and then James.

"I just can." He shrugged. "What's your name?"

"You mean there's no me in your world?" She sounded torn between pouting and snickering. Harry shook his head. "I'm Dorea. This is my baby brother Sebastian." She introduced what must be her twin. Harry felt himself staring at the younger boy, that might have been his sibling if his parents hadn't been murdered.

"You look a lot like your mother." Harry mused softly.

"I know." Sebastian nodded. "We're twelve and will begin our second year at Hogwarts in September." He informed evenly. "We're both in Gryffindor." He added after a moment's thought.

"Me too." The other Harry said. "But you already knew that, right?"

"I suppose." Harry wasn't so sure, thought. The Sorting hat _had_ wanted to place him in Slytherin.

"Is it true you're really seventeen?" The other Harry asked curiously.

Harry nodded as Lily began to fill his plate with food.

"So what are your grades like? You must've taken your NEWTs by now." James asked.

Harry hesitated. "I didn't go back for my seventh year." He slowly revealed. There was a stunned silence around the table for a moment.

"And mum let you do that?" Sebastian asked curiously. He shot his mother an incredulous look.

"...there were certain circumstances." Harry muttered. Damn it. He wasn't exactly doing himself any favours here.

"Your world was at war." Lily said as calmly as she was capable of. Harry simply nodded. How bad must it have been for her son not to go back to school?

Harry remained silent for most of the dinner, listening to the conversations of the family he had been forced to stay with. He truly would have preferred to stay at Hogwarts, even if he had been all alone. As dinner was wrapping up, Lily took up an issue she had contemplated all day.

"So." She got the rest of the table's occupant's attention. "We can't have two Harry in one house. It'll be far too confusing." She began lightly.

"Uh.." Harry blinked. "You're free to call me something else." He shrugged. He glanced at his counterpart. It wouldn't really be fair to expect the boy to give up his name in addition to sharing his family.

"Are you sure?" James asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes. I am proud of the name my parents gave me, but I can see how it would quickly become confusing."

"Pick something cool." Dorea cut in, grinning at him.

Harry glanced at Lily uncertainly. Bloody hell, this was difficult.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Lily asked. Harry shook his head. "Then James and I will think about it." She shot her husband a warm smile. James had to bite back a grin.

"It's as if we're expecting all over again." He joked. At Harry's confused look, he explained. "Lily and I argued almost the entire pregnancy when Sebastian and Dorea were about to be born."

"Oh." He hadn't thought about that. "So what do we do after dinner?" He asked, just to have something to say.

"Whatever we want." Harry said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's the summer holidays."

"Are there any chores I should be aware of?" Harry eventually asked, feeling very out of place.

"Not really." Lily waved the question away. "I manage most things on my own. Otherwise I'll let you know."

This was truly bizarre. When Lily began to clear the table, Harry automatically rose to help her. The other children just stared in wonder as he began to do the dishes.

"You don't have to do that, you know." James said, hiding his conflicting emotions. Harry looked up, as if startled.

"I'm used to it." He shrugged. "And I don't mind." He added, just in case. And he truly didn't. As a matter of fact, he found the familiar movements calming, and it gave him a chance to think and gather his thoughts. He effectively ignored the flabbergasted looks he recieved from the children in the room, but they eventually just shrugged and moved into the sitting room.

It was some time later, when Harry was sitting on the couch, watching the three siblings play a round of exploding snap, that Lily approached him.

"Harry." She said to get his attention. His counterpart also raised his head at the sound of the name. Lily grinned. "James and I have been discussing it, and what do you think of Damien?" She waited expectantly for a response. "I've always like that name."

"Uh, sure. Why not?" Harry, now Damien, said. "So, uh, Damien, huh." He tried the name out and shrugged. "I don't have anything against it."

"Damien. That's cool." Dorea grinned widely. "This is brilliant. Like suddenly getting another brother!" She laughed.

"So, Damien. Would you like to join our game here or what?" Sebastian asked. It seemed everyone wanted to try saying his new -even if it was temporary- name at least once.

"Sure." Damien slid off the couch and joined the others on the floor.

.o.O.o.


	4. Chapter 4

**Past Mistakes**

**Chapter four**

Serious Sirius

Harry, or Damien now, slowly settled in with his makeshift family. He still couldn't bring himself to think of them as _his_ family. It simply hurt too much.

It was... interesting to spend time with his counterpart. And he was utterly helpless when it came to the twins; siblings were something he had always wished for, and he couldn't really resist them. James and Lily, however, were watching him every chance they got. They could tell he was purposefully keeping his distance to them and couldn't help but wonder why. It was Damien's fifth day with the Potters when something out of the ordinary happened. Damien was helping Lily with dinner as the front door burst open and a heart-wrenchingly familiar voice hollered into the house.

"Oi! Prongs! You can take your threats and shove them; I want to meet the new addition to the family!"

Damien dropped the knife he was cutting vegetables with, and it would most likely have hit his foot if it hadn't been for Lily's quick reaction. She levitated the knife and sent Damien a concerned look.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

Damien barely heard her, as he slowly turned around. And there was one person he hadn't seen in... two years.

"Sirius." He breathed the name, feeling all blood drain from his face. Sirius peered curiously at him from the doorway. He didn't have time for much else, before Damien's vision darkened and he stumbled to the side. He would have fallen if not for Lily, who quickly grabbed him.

"A bit of help here." She said urgently. "Damien? Harry?" She switched back to his true name. Damien could hear approaching footsteps, and felt a second pair of hands take hold of one of his arms. He was half carried into the sitting room and placed on the sofa.

"What happened? Is he usually like this?" Sirius' puzzled voice managed to penetrate the darkness clinging to Damien's mind.

"Shush. Give him some room."

"What's going on?" James entered the room, just to see his wife and best friend hovering over Damien, who sat slumped in the sofa. "Is he alright?" He approached them worriedly. "Should I call Pomfrey?"

"I don't know. I think he fainted." Lily murmured, frowning as she pressed her hand against the boy's forehead. Her eyes lingered on the odd scar there a moment, but Damien soon fluttered his eyelids, drawing her attention elsewhere. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen it before; she had caught glimpses of it repeatedly in the last week. "Damien, are you feeling better now?" She asked, stroking his hair back from his face in what she hoped was a comforting manner.

Damien opened his eyes and his gaze was immediately drawn towards stormy blue. "Sirius." Was all he managed to say.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Sirius smiled thinly. "Have we met before?"

"Not here." Damien slowly sat up. Now that he was over the initial shock, he could barely look at the man. This was not _his_ Sirius. This man hadn't lost his best friend and his wife, had never been betrayed by one of his closest friends, and had certainly never spent any length of time in Azkaban.

"What are you all doing?" Another familiar voice asked, sounding faintly amused.

Lily watched with rising alarm as all colour drained from Damien's face once again.

"Remus?" But this time, instead of fainting, the boy jumped up and hurried up to the man. "Remus." He reached out to take hold of said man's arm, staring intently up at his face.

"Er, yes?" Remus was clearly at a loss of what to do. He felt rather uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny this strangely familiar boy was subjecting him to. And then the moment was over and Damien realised what it was he was doing.

"I'm sorry." He immediately released his hold on him. "I didn't mean to startle you." He diverted his gaze. He turned around and spotted Sirius again. The hurt, regret, guilt and longing that jolted through him quickly made him turn away. He ended up staring at the wall, highly uncomfortable with the entire situation.

James watched it all with a puzzled look. He was trying hard to stomp down on the unexpected wave of jealousy rising in his chest. This was supposed to be his son, if only from a different reality. Why did he show more reaction to his two best friends than to him, his father? He exchanged a quick glance with his wife, and could tell she was thinking something similar.

"So, uh, you know Moony and me?" Sirius broke the awkward silence that had been building in the room. Damien nodded jerkily, still staring at the wall.

"Do you know us well? Or, is that an odd question? I mean, I'm supposed to be your godfather and all." Sirius chatted away.

Damien took a deep breath and slowly turned to give Sirius a tremulous smile. "You're family." He managed to get out, before he had to avert his gaze again.

James blinked. Weren't _they_ his family? He shook his head; there was probably a perfectly sensible explanation to all of this. It didn't make it easier, though. It didn't take a genius to see that this Harry had been treated vastly different from their son.

"Alright. We need to talk." James had had enough. "Please sit down, Damien. Or maybe we ought to call you Harry for this?" He mused.

Damien slowly shuffled over to the sofa, to reclaim his seat. Sirius and Remus shared a glance, before joining them as James and Lily sat down on either side of the boy.

"Ok. We can tell there's something that's obviously bothering you. Care to tell us what?" James began. Lily sent him a reproachful look.

"Were we really such horrible parents in your world? You can hardly look at any of us." She asked quietly. Damien flinched as if struck.

"No!" He shook his head.

"Then what?" James was at the end of his patience. "You show more emotions when you look at Sirius and Remus now, than you've done towards us your entire stay here."

Sirius blinked and shared another quick glance with Remus.

Damien opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out and he slowly closed it again. James wanted to demand the truth, but a sharp glare from Lily stopped him. "You're all dead." Damien eventually blurted.

His words sent cold shivers down Lily's spine. "What do you mean?" That actually explained a lot.

Damien fidgeted with the hem of his shirt for a bit, before taking a deep breath. "In my world there was a man; a very evil wizard named Tom Riddle." He began to tell. "He named himself Lord Voldemort and set out to conquer the world." He smiled sardonically.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Sirius asked before he could help himself. Three furious glares and one look filled with fond amusement silenced him.

"Everything." Damien spoke the word softly. Another stretch of silence and then he continued. "He killed and tortured so many people, and the war seemed endless. The ministry was on the brink of destruction and hope seemed to be lost." Damien sent Lily a quick, furtive glance. "Until a prophesy was told."

"A prophesy?" This time it was Remus who interrupted.

Damien nodded. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have trice defied him. Born as the seventh month dies..." He began, and those who listened felt dread settling over the room. Harry was born at the end of July. "A spy heard that part, and told Voldemort. But he never knew the entire thing."

"What does the rest of it say?" It was Lily who spoke.

"But he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not, and he shall mark him as his equal. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies." Damien finished, his voice hollow.

"Mark him?" James frowned.

Damien heaved a heavy sigh and lifted his dark fringe, showing a lightning-shaped scar. "There were only two possible couples who fit into the description. You." He looked at the Potters. "And the Longbottoms." He paused again. Merlin, this was difficult. "Voldemort _chose_ you... or, rather, me." He gave a grim smile.

"Didn't we know? Didn't we try to get away?" Lily asked, dreading where this story was heading.

"You did." Damien nodded. "But you were betrayed. You trusted Peter Pettigrew to be your Secret Keeper, and he handed you over to Voldemort practically on a silver platter." Sirius growled. "He came after you on Halloween." Damien took a deep breath. "He killed my dad first." He shot a look at James. "He tried to hold him back, to let my mom get away with me. Then, Voldemort told her to step away from me." He glanced at Lily's stony features. "She refused, and he killed her. Then he turned his wand on me, fired an Avada Kedavra..." His voice tapered off.

"What happened?" James wanted -_needed_- to know.

"The curse rebounded. Hit him, and he died." Damien finished the story lamely. They all sat in silence for quite some time before Lily spoke up, her voice trembling.

"How...H-how old were you?"

"One."

All four of them stared. "How can you remember all those details? No, how can you remember it at all?" Remus asked faintly.

"I don't. Not really." Damien shrugged. "I sometimes had dreams of green flashes of light when I was younger, but that was it."

"Then how?" James asked.

"It's what I hear when I'm close to a dementor." Came Damien's muted reply.

Lily paled. Even Sirius looked shaken, and he reached out a hand and grabbed James' shoulder in a painful grip.

"So I take it I raised you, then?" Sirius tried to give him a smile, but it turned into more of a pained grimace. Damien mutedly shook his head. "Then... Remus?" Again, he shook his head.

"Why not? Who raised you?" James bit out. "I'd like to think there would be some hell kind of circumstances before Sirius gave up his right to raise you!" His chaotic emotions took on the characteristics of anger.

"Remember that I said Pettigrew handed you over to Voldemort?"

"Yeah." Sirius's voice was filled with trepidation.

"Well... no one knew he was the Secret Keeper." Damien sighed. "Everyone thought it was you." His green eyes pinned Sirius in place, making it hard to breathe.

"But..."

"You knew there was a traitor in the Order-"

"Order?" Remus interrupted in a muted voice. This was far from a cheerful story.

"The Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore created it to fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters." He made a brief pause. "I suppose they were afraid it was you. Because they didn't even tell you, Remus." He sent Remus an apologetic look. "And when Sirius found out what Peter had done, he went here..." He looked around at the house they sat in. "The rebounding curse had pretty much destroyed part of the house. And when Hagrid came to retrieve me, you gave him your motorcycle." He turned back to Sirius. "And then you went after the rat."

Sirius gave a faint, grim smile. "Did I kill him?" There was an almost predatory glint in his eyes.

Damien slowly shook his head. "If only." He sighed. "Peter had anticipated it. You caught him in the middle of a street in muggle London, and he screamed out about how _you_ had betrayed my parents, leaving several witnessed, and then blew up the street, killing twelve muggles. He cut off one of his fingers, turned into a rat and disappeared down into the sewers, faking his death." Silence rang in the room. "They shipped you off to Azkaban without even the courtesy of a trial." Damien added angrily.

Sirius' stunned expression slowly turned into one of horror, as the implications dawned on him. "But how did you know me? If I was in..." It seemed he was unable to say it out loud.

Damien sent him a warm, affectionate smile. "You escaped my third year. You found out Pettigrew was still at large, and even had easy access to me at Hogwarts, and you headed out to finish the crime you had been incarcerated for."

"Sirius _escaped_ from Azkaban? No one has ever done that." Remus spoke softly, sounding to be on the brink of fainting.

"No one knew he was an unregistered animagus." Damien shrugged, unconcerned.

"But who raised you, then?" Lily cut in. She looked upset. "Was it Alice and Frank?" Damien flinched.

"No, they... couldn't."

"Why not?" James asked with a sneaking suspicion. "Had they been killed too? You said Neville was the other candidate to that prophesy."

"Not... quite." Damien sighed heavily. "I even met them once, when I was fifteen. They're living in St. Mungo's long term ward."

"Why?" They dreaded the answer, but still couldn't help but ask.

"A few Death Eaters attacked them, looking for Voldemort after he had tried to murder me. The Longbottom's were tortured until they lost their minds." Damien told them serenely. "Neville was raised by his grandmother." He added softly.

Stunned silence. "So wh-"

"My mother sacrificed herself for me." Damien cut into the question. "She didn't have to die, but she refused to step aside when Voldemort came after me." He sent Lily a pained look. "As the options for guardians were rather slim, Dumbledore decided to use that sacrifice to give me the best protection he could think of." A pregnant silence filled the room. The only one with a clue as to what he was getting at was Lily, and her expression was quickly darkening. "He established powerful blood-wards by leaving me with the only living blood relative I had left." He finished.

"No!" Lily jumped to her feet, immediately furious. "I refuse to believe it!" She practically screeched.

Damien stared at her, eyes wide. He hadn't expected this reaction.

"Lily, calm down!" James looked worriedly at his wife. "He might mean my parents." He added, with a hopeful glance at Damien.

"Your parents?" He frowned. The hope in James' eyes went out like a light.

"So you were raised by... by Lily's sister?" Remus asked tersely. They had all heard everything they needed to know about the woman. And you could even _see_ all the affection she had bestowed upon her nephew... or the lack thereof.

"Yeah. The Dursleys." Damien nodded shortly. Lily muttered something rude about Petunia's whale of a husband, but everyone ignored her. "And, well... I didn't know I was a wizard until Hagrid came to get me." He shrugged.

"What about the letter?" James asked almost pleadingly. "You should have been able to read it in the Hogwarts letter."

"I wasn't allowed to read it." Damien shrugged, as if it wasn't really important. The adults all took a moment to think about that, to digest the news. It was something all magical children looked forward to; finally getting their Hogwarts letter.

"Wait a moment." James slowly said. "Albus said you had come straight out of a war when you arrived. Don't tell me there was another one so soon after?" He frowned.

"Well..." Damien shifted uncomfortably. "Remember Voldemort? Turns out he didn't actually die when he was hit by the rebounding Avada Kedavra."

"How is that possible?" Remus rubbed his fingers against his eyes tiredly.

"Ever heard of Horcruxes?" Damien asked them reluctantly.

All of them looked confused, except for Sirius, who had grown incredibly pale. "What?" His voice was rough and strained. "You don't mean..?"

"Yes. I do." Damien said, a steely glint in his eyes now. "And he made seven of them." He added stonily.

Sirius looked like he would faint. Or throw up.

"What are Horcruxes?" Lily asked, her fury temporarily forgotten.

"It's the darkest, foulest magic you can imagine." Sirius spat out. "It leaves the wizard or witch that tries it barely human." The disgust he was feeling was plain for them all to see and hear.

Damien nodded. "Voldemort was far from human anymore. And he wasn't exactly sane either." He shrugged again. "He wanted to become immortal." He explained at the mystified looks he received. "Anyway. Because he had these horcruxes, he couldn't die in the normal sense. When his body was destroyed by the rebounding curse, he became a sort of wraith." He made a brief pause. "He returned when I was fourteen." He glanced down at his body, grimacing.

"H-how?" It was Lily who spoke now. "How could he possibly 'return', as you put it?"

"He regained his body and former power." Damien stated evenly, eyeing them all speculatively, as if wondering if they could handle any more of his story today. "He went through with a ritual that required a number of evil ingredients." His hand went unconsciously to rest on his left arm, right over the scar from the cut Wormtail had made. All of the adults noticed, and the grim realization dawned on them. This... version of their son had been used in a Dark ritual.

"How did you survive? And why would he even want to use you in the first place?" Lily asked angrily, tears stinging her eyes.

Damien startled. "Uh. It's not exactly common for people to survive the killing curse." He said uncomfortably. Sirius snorted. "And since that's what got rid of Voldemort..." His voice tapered off, and it was easy to see the uncomfortable embarrassment on his face.

"You got famous." James stated incredulously.

Damien grimaced. "They called me the Boy-Who-Lived." He rolled his eyes. "And later on, The Chosen One." His eyes narrowed dangerously now, staring off into the distance at something only he could see. "Rather convenient for them, really." The cold disdain in his voice was chilling. He returned to the story with visible effort. "I was a symbol of his demise. _And _I was the one mentioned in the prophesy, so... He required the blood of his enemy, and I was the best choice." He shrugged. "He also wanted my blood because of my mother's protection. He hadn't been able to touch me before the ritual. He no longer had that problem afterwards." Damien scowled, suppressing a shudder. Not that it had been painless.

"...how had he been able to touch you if he was a wraith?" Remus asked quietly, eyeing Damien intently.

Damien gave him a wry grin. "Nothing ever slips passed you, Remus." The smile quickly slipped off his face, leaving no trace of mirth. "He possessed a teacher my first year, trying to steal the Philosopher's stone. Touching my skin burned him badly."

"He... attacked you?" James tried to keep his voice even.

"Me and my friends were... a curious bunch." Damien chuckled humorlessly. "We figured out the stone was hidden at Hogwarts, and knew that someone was trying to steal it." He shrugged again. "We went after him, to protect it."

"You were eleven!" Lily objected heatedly. "What were the teachers doing?!"

"We tried to tell McGonagall." Damien said defensively. "She didn't believe us. After all; we were just eleven year old children. What did we know?" He stated dryly.

"But, Dumbledore..." Remus began desperately.

"Had been called away by Quirrellmort, with a fake owl from the ministry. It was the perfect opportunity to try and steal it."

"Quirrellmort?" Sirius asked curiously, a note of amusement in his voice despite the gravity of the conversation.

"Yeah." Damien grinned. "His name was Quirrell, and he had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head. Thus; Quirrellmort."

Sirius snorted. "Sounds like a charming git."

"He was pathetic. I don't think I learned anything in his lessons. All he did was stutter and give me headaches, anyway." Damien muttered.

Lily reached out and took hold of his right hand, gently stroking her thumb over the scars on the back. "Is this because of him, too?"

"Indirectly." Damien stared at his hand in Lily's.

"What the- ! Is that _writing_?" Sirius stared at his hand. "I must not tell lies." He read off the back of his hand. "Oi, mate. What kind of life have you had?" He demanded to know, a note of nauseated horror in his voice.

"Not a boring one." Damien answered dryly. "I'm sorry, but can I go to bed now? I think I'm getting a headache." He muttered. And it was true; a steady pulsing had begun behind his eyes, steadily working its way to becoming painful.

"Of course!" Lily shot up from her seat, wrapping him in a tight hug. Damien froze. "Please sleep tight." She said as she released him, eyeing him worriedly. "I can give you a bottle of Dreamless sleep, if you want?" She added.

"It's fine. Thanks." And Damien shuffled out of the room.

.o.O.o.

"Did you guys hear that?" Dorea whispered to her brothers. They had been eavesdropping in the kitchen. None of the adults had spared them a thought once Damien had begun to tell them his story, and they had taken shameless advantage of it. They had been forced to scramble out of the way when Damien had headed upstairs, though.

"I think he noticed us." Sebastian said hesitantly, glancing up the stairs.

"So? He didn't say anything. That's practically the same as permission." Dorea dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. Sebastian looked at his older brother and saw that he was visibly shaken and dangerously pale.

"Are you alright, Harry?" He asked worriedly. Harry slowly nodded. To know that that _could_ have been his life... He had met his cousin and his family just once. That one occasion had been enough to last a lifetime. To actually grow up there... he shuddered at the thought.

"No wonder he's so withdrawn." He murmured. Sebastian nodded. "Come on." Harry decided they had heard enough for one night. And their parents might not want their children to hear their reactions. Harry sure as hell wouldn't want anyone to hear him break down.

Dorea pouted a moment, before giving in. "Alright. We can always ask Damien more about it when we go to Hogwarts."

"Dorea." Sebastian cut in seriously. "Damien might not want to talk about it. If you pressure him, I'll tell mum." He warned, green eyes sharp. Dorea looked speechless before she spluttered a response.

"You wouldn't tell mum..." She sounded horrified. "You'd get into trouble, too!"

"I would. I like Damien and don't want to push him away." Sebastian didn't seem the least bit concerned about their mother's wrath. Harry eyed his little brother warily. Most people thought Sebastian was meek and harmless just because he was calm and rarely spoke to strangers. But he hadn't been placed in Gryffindor without reason. He could be quite frightening when he so put in the effort.

.o.O.o.


End file.
